Laurent-Perrier uncorks champers strategy

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Yves de Bohan and Ludovic de Lageard expect that Australians will develop a bigger taste for Laurent-Perrier's champagne range.Photo: Shannon Morris

Ludovic de Lageard, regional export manager for Laurent-Perrier,
doesn't seem to be in a hurry when you ask how much time the
champagne house needs to build a respectable niche in Australia's
cutthroat liquor market.

"In Australia we do not know how much time," Mr de Lageard said.
"We are aiming at being among the top five in champagne, whether it
will take six months or 10 years."

A company that has been going for nearly 200 years might know
something about taking its time. Founded in 1812 in
Tours-Sur-Marne, about an hour's drive from Paris, Laurent-Perrier
is now the world's third biggest champagne maker by value.

According to the champagne trade association, the Comite
Interprofessional Du Vin De Champagne (CIVC), total shipments
globally have reached nearly 294 million bottles.

Australia is last in the top-10 export markets for champagne,
with 1.6 million bottles sold at an average price of $23.70.

Mr De Lageard concedes Laurent-Perrier sells only a few hundred
bottles in Australia.

Six months ago, it signed a distribution agreement with Orlando
Wyndham for the winemaker to offer the flagship Brut LP, Brut
Vintage 1996, Cuvee Rose Brut, and Grande Siecle "La Cuvee". The
champagnes retail at between $70 and $200.

Yves de Bohan, Laurent-Perrier's international sales director,
said the increasing number of Australians, particularly young
women, taking to sparkling wine was a good sign and Laurent-Perrier
planned to piggyback off the trend.

"The fact that the sparkling wine market is growing and we are
seeing some sparkling wines selling at high prices, it paves the
way for us," Mr de Bohan said.

The market offered unique opportunities for old-world producers,
he said. "It's a country that seems to be very innovative where you
have lots of people coming from around the world.

"When we look at the champagne market in Australia, it's a young
segment that's growing. Another big opportunity is that Australia
is already one step ahead by serving champagne more and more for
wine and food and this does interest us."

Why? Because in restaurants and bars, 10 to 25 per cent more
wine can be sold - and at bigger margins - when it's poured by the
glass.

Since signing the deal with Orlando Wyndham, the company has
been schmoozing with wine groups and sommeliers. "We are now doing
a lot of work below the line," Mr de Lageard said. "We have only a
few seconds to capture the customers' attention and if we can
communicate our passion for the brand, then we are in."

So how long does Mr de Lageard really need to build market
share. Six months or 10 years? "Probably not six months, but not 10
years."